Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel has died aged 30 after sustaining fatal injuries during a Spanish second-division fixture against FC Andorra on Monday. De Miguel had signed a three-year contract with Tenerife in 2025.
The incident occurred seven minutes into stoppage time while Tenerife and FC Andorra were tied at 2-2. Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono ran toward the centre circle to clear a long ball and collided heavily with De Miguel, striking him with his knee. De Miguel suffered severe head and chest trauma from the hit.
The forward lay motionless on the pitch while emergency medical staff administered care before transferring him by ambulance from the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez to the hospital.
Spanish news outlets, including Marca, reported that De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest in the ambulance and was resuscitated by paramedics en route.
Players on the pitch were visibly shaken, with multiple team-mates reduced to tears. The referee issued Owono a straight red card and abandoned the match. Following the incident, Owono, who had over 30,000 Instagram followers on Tuesday morning, deactivated his social media account.
De Miguel was initially listed in ‘stable but serious’ condition on Monday. However, his health abruptly worsened early the following morning, and he passed away at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday.
In an official statement announcing his passing, CD Tenerife stated: “Heartbroken, with a lump in our throats and unable to believe this is true, CD Tenerife announces the tragic death of Jesus de Miguel Alameda. There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can lessen this overwhelming sadness. We stand with his grieving family, with his loved ones, with all of Tenerife who mourn this cruel loss today.”
Following the tragedy, the Spanish football federation postponed all scheduled Spanish Cup matches on Tuesday. The postponement halted two first-round fixtures in the men’s Copa del Rey, alongside a women’s Copa del Reina match between Espanyol and AS Celtas. Before their Tuesday morning training sessions, both Real Madrid and Arsenal observed a minute’s silence in his memory.
Born in Madrid, De Miguel launched his career at Leganes in 2015 and went on to represent eight different clubs across Spain. His career path included spells at Lugo Fuenlabrada and Internacional Madrid, a second stint at Fuenlabrada, and spells with Union Adarve, Navalcarnero, and Unionistas. He moved to Castellon in 2023, scoring 16 goals to secure the club’s promotion to the second division a year later. After joining Tenerife in 2025, he scored 11 goals in 29 appearances for the club. De Miguel is survived by his daughter, Carla de Miguel Fernandez, who was born in 2025.
Tributes Across Football
- CD Tenerife: Expressed overwhelming heartbreak and offered support to his family and loved ones during this cruel loss.
- FC Andorra: “With broken hearts and devastated, we want to send our most sincere condolences to the family of Jesus de Miguel, to all his team-mates, friends, and to CD Tenerife.”
- Gerard Pique (Andorra co-owner): “I am sorry with all my soul. Rest in peace, Jesus.”
- Castellon: “It’s hard to find words when reality strikes in such an unfair way. We join with all our affection in the grief of his family and loved ones, whom we embrace in these terribly difficult moments and to whom we extend our most heartfelt condolences.”
- Javier Tebas (La Liga President): “Today, we all share the terrible pain of an irreparable loss. My deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, team-mates and the whole club.”
- Kylian Mbappe: “Much sadness, there are no words.”
- Lionel Messi: “There are no words. My condolences and lots of strength to all his family and friends.”
- A lower-league player with an eye for goal.
